RFI: Bohemian Waxwing

[Scott Baron]

Hi,

Interesting to read Tom Litteral's post this morning.  Does anyone know of a somewhat reliable location for Bohemian Waxwing within an hour or two drive of Loveland/Ft. Collins?  Ebird has no sightings from the area this winter and I haven't seen sightings posted to the listserv this winter.  It seems that this species hasn't irrupted this far south in numbers. 

Would love to try to see them before the season is over.  If you have info to share feel free to reply to me directly at baron dot scott at gmail dot com.

Thanks,

Scott Baron

Loveland, Colo.

[Brandon K. Percival]

Christmas Bird Counts in Colorado, on 14 December 2013 had a few Bohemian Waxwings.  The Fort Collins CBC found three and the Granby CBC found 95, though the most were at Steamboat Springs with 419.  It hasn't been a big year for them in Colorado, this winter, last winter was much better.

Brandon Percival

Pueblo West, CO

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From: Scott Baron <baron...@gmail.com>
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 10:35 AM
Subject: [cobirds] RFI: Bohemian Waxwing

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[John]

This is not an invasion year for Bohemian Waxwings.  The intriguing aspect of this report is that this now represents the third credible sighting/sightings for the Steamboat area during non-invasion years (over the last ten years or so).  Is there some other dynamic that encourages Bohemian Waxwings to migrate south to the Yampa River drainage?

 

John Vanderpoel

 

From: cob...@googlegroups.com [mailto:cob...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Scott Baron
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 10:35 AM
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] RFI: Bohemian Waxwing

 

Hi,

Thanks,

Scott Baron

Loveland, Colo.

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[Barry]

I haven't seen any waxwings in the Fort Collins area this year, either. One reason I've considered is that were late freezes last spring that killed off a lot of flowering tree buds that normally would have matured into the berries waxwings and robins seem to love. No berries in the usual locations (zero hackberries north of CSU campus, e.g.), so no waxwings, I guess.

- Barry Gingrich
  Broomfield, CO

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Barry et al,
Bohemians seem like an every 3-5 year occurrence in Fort Collins, so definitely not present every year.  I suspect what brings them here has nothing to do with the local berry crop.  I suspect what causes them to linger for weeks or months has EVERYTHING to do the local berry crop.  I would assess the local juniper berry crop in winter 2013-14 in Fort Collins as plenty adequate, and that seems to be the main staple of both waxwing species, solitaires, robins, flickers, juncos, and starlings.  Hackberry "berries", as you suggest, can be a good supplement to juniper berries, and I didn't really take note of the crop on them this winter.  Since we had a good population of Bohemians around here in winter 2012-2013, I was surprised we had ANY this winter, regardless of spring storms and summer mega-monsoons.  Consecutive-year, conspicuous populations of all those northern/nomadic invaders (finches, Bohemians, rough-legs, Snow Buntings, Snowy Owls, etc.) historically have been decidedly rare in CO.  Thus, John Vanderpoel's excellent question re the Steamboat area and two years in a row of good Bohemian populations.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

ate: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:31:37 -0700
From: barrylg...@gmail.com
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Re: RFI: Bohemian Waxwing

I haven't seen any waxwings in the Fort Collins area this year, either. One reason I've considered is that were late freezes last spring that killed off a lot of flowering tree buds that normally would have matured into the berries waxwings and robins seem to love. No berries in the usual locations (zero hackberries north of CSU campus, e.g.), so no waxwings, I guess.

- Barry Gingrich
  Broomfield, CO

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[Barry]

Thanks for the explanation, Dave. I saw quite a few waxwings last year, as did everybody else. I saw most of them in taller trees, but that's just because that's where they were. :-) All of the trees near campus and around town where I saw them last year have no fruit. One reason I paid some attention to the fruiting trees is that I had no crabapples this past year, but I've huge numbers in the past. (Enough to need a snowshovel.)